He took a strict vow of celibacy– which was the sine qua non for attaining enlightenment and achieving a state of nirvana.

He then headed for the hills to live an ascetic existence of a hermit.

He found a secluded cave where he began his simple contemplative meditative life.

He survived on natural wild vegetation in the forest – and he began his journey towards his quest for enlightenment and attaining nirvana.

One day – he noticed holes in his robe.

He discovered that there were lots of rats in the cave who were chewing off his robes.

Soon – the rats were nibbling at his toes and disturbing his meditation.

Perplexed – he went down to the town – and he consulted his Guru who said: “No problem. The solution is simple. Get a cat.”

“A cat...?” asked the man, perplexed.

“The cat will take care of the rats,” the Guru said.

So our nirvana seeking man got a cat – and he took it up to his cave.

The cat took care of the rats – and the man was undisturbed in his quest for enlightenment.

A few days later – the cat had eaten up all the rats in the cave.

As there were no rats left to eat – the cat started feeling hungry.

One day – the famished cat started moaning with hunger.

The constant moaning and crying of the cat disturbed the man’s meditation.

So – the man again rushed to consult his Guru.

“Get a cow,” the Guru advised the man.

“A cow...?” the man exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes. The cow will yield milk with which you can feed your cat and satiate its hunger,” the Guru said.

So – the man got a cow.

He took the cow up with him – and he tied the cow outside his cave.

Now the man would spend some time milking the cow – then feeding the cat with cow’s milk –and then settle down for his meditation.

A few days later the cow stopped giving milk – and the cow mooed loudly in a sad tone.

The hungry cat too had started moaning again.

Totally disturbed by the shrill anguished moaning of the hungry cat and loud disquieting mooing of the starving cow – the wise man ran to his Guru once again to seek his advice.

“Buy some seeds and plant them. Grow grass. Water your garden and tend to the plants. The crop will give food for the cow and for you,” the Guru said.

The man planted the seeds which yielded food both for the cow and for himself.

However now the man had to spend so much time tending to his garden – feeding and milking his cow – and giving milk to his cat – that he hardly got any time for meditation.

He rushed to his Guru again for help.

The Guru once again had a ready solution: “There is a young woman – she is a widow – poor thing –she is a destitute woman. She will look after everything – she will take care of all your needs – and you can meditate in peace and attain enlightenment.”

So – the man took the young woman up with him to the cave.

It was indeed a wonderful arrangement.

The young woman looked after everything.

The garden bloomed – cow and cat flourished – and the wise man could do his meditation undisturbed in his quest for enlightenment and he was on the path to nirvana.

Then – the winter season came – and it started getting cold.

One day it began to snow – and the temperature fell to sub-zero.

The young woman started to shiver owing to the biting cold.

Soon – she could not bear the bitter cold any longer.

So the woman snuggled into the wise man’s bed.

She still felt cold.

So the woman tightly embraced the man with her arms.

But this was not enough – and she continued to feel cold – so she put her legs around him.

But – even now – she still felt cold – so she put her entire body in physical contact with his body – as that was the only way for her to keep warm.

Now tell me – which man can resist the tight embrace of an attractive woman in the prime of her life...?

His “vow of celibacy” lay shattered.

And so – with the “vow of celibacy” broken –there ended the man’s quest for enlightenment and nirvana.

Soon – with all his new possessions to look after (the cat, the cow, and the woman) – the man returned back to the material world.

He began to live a worldly life as he used to do before – the same busy worldly life from where he had begun his journey towards enlightenment to attain Nirvana.

The “wise” man was back to square one.

His dreams to attain a state of Nirvana remained unrealized – as he got busy with his worldly life.

MORAL OF THE STORY

RETIREMENT MEANS NIRVANA

Metaphorically – retirement is supposed to be “nirvana”.

And “celibacy” is the essential prerequisite to attain a state of “nirvana”.

All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Today is September 30 – and I am “celebrating” my Retirement Anniversary.

I retired exactly 5 years ago.So – here is a post to “celebrate” my retirement anniversary on the Meaning of Retirement.

MEANING OF RETIREMENT

RETIREMENT = LEISURE + SECURITY

Ramblings of a Retired Mind

By

VIKRAM KARVE

RETIREMENT MEANS LEISURE WITH SECURITY

Yes – there are two essential attributes of retirement:

1. Leisure

2. Security

When you retire – you have plenty of LEISURE.

You must know how to enjoy your leisure.

However – in order to enjoy this leisure – you must have SECURITY.

The term “security” includes three types of security:

1. Financial Security

2. Physical Security

3. Emotional Security

Financial Security

You cannot enjoy the leisure you will have after you retire if you do not have enough money to live a reasonable standard of life after retirement (and also cater to essential needs like health and other responsibilities towards children etc).

That is why it is important to plan early and save enough money in order to ensure financial security before you retire – especially if you are not going to get a monthly pension.

You must also ensure you have a health insurance plan and also some contingency funds to fall back upon in case you fall in some unforeseen financial distress.

Financial planning for retirement must take into account increasing longevity especially in women who outlive their husbands in most cases.

Physical Security

You must choose a retirement home which provides you physical security.

That is why it is important to choose a peaceful place with good law and order (a pensioners’ paradise) to settle down after you retire.

A flat in a gated residential complex or in a senior citizens retirement community in a city will give you better security than living in an isolated bungalow in a far-off desolate place.

Living in an apartment in a city or in a retirement community will also provide you with facilities and amenities to enjoy a better quality of life after you retire, especially in your old age.

Emotional Security

Gone are the days of the joint family system when a retired person got plenty of emotional security from his children and grandchildren who looked after elders.

Nowadays – if you are married – you have to rely on your spouse alone to give you emotional security.

Conclusion

Before you retire – you must ask yourself whether you have enough security during your retirement to enable you to enjoy the leisure you will get when you retire.

All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

My family has a grouse against me that I never took them out holidaying to various popular destinations.

“Everyone goes out on at least one vacation every year – but we go nowhere,” they complain.

This is particularly so after my retirement 5 years ago – because ever since I have retired – I have hardly gone out of Pune – and – in fact – I like to stay in my home most of the time – and I venture out to Pune City only when absolutely necessary.

Most of my ex-Navy buddies and their families have travelled all over the world on vacations after retirement.

But – we have gone nowhere.

So – my wife is quite justified in nursing this grievance against me that I have become a house-bound bore – an asocial recluse – after my retirement.

My children feel that I am unhappy and that I need a vacation.

What they do not realize is that I am most happy sitting at home doing my reading, writing and blogging – taking leisurely walks in the mornings and evenings – hearing old songs on the radio – and watching a bit of TV.

Yes – I am happy and content with my present staid unadventurous routine – and I do not want to go anywhere.

Throughout my life – till my retirement – I have had a nomadic existence – frequently relocating wherever my father was posted – then 6 years in boarding school where we had to keep changing dormitories – then 5 years in hostel studying engineering (even here we had to change our hostel every year) – then more than 33 years in the Navy where we were always on the move – till finally – I retired and settled down in my own house.

I was fed up of moving all my life – so I enjoyed the stability – and the feeling – that now – I can remain where I am – and – “I have to go nowhere”.

I am doing what I always wanted to do.

I am living the life that I always wanted to to live.

Please let me be.

I do not want to go anywhere.

Please leave me alone.

I want to go nowhere.

I do not need a vacation.

Every day at home is my “vacation”.

How can I explain this?

No one understands.

So – maybe – I will post this introspective article I had written around 3 years ago – with the hope that my family and friends will understand my point of view.

Are You Living the Life that You always Wanted to Live ?

SELF ACTUALIZATION MADE SIMPLE

Philosophical Musings of a Navy Veteran on the verge of “Self-Actualization”

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Literature teaches you more about the art of livingrather than sermons and moral lectures.I learnt more from literature – than from high-falutin philosophy or spiritualism.

And of all genres of literature – it is short stories which gave me insightful tips on the art of living and vignettes on philosophy of life.

You must have heard of the term: “Self-Actualization”.

I first came across the term “Self-Actualization” in the 1970’s when I read about Abraham Maslow’s HIERARCHY OF NEEDS while studying the management module during my engineering course.

We were told that the Hierarchy of Needs has 5 levels of Human Needs:

1. Physiological

2. Safety and Security

3. Love and Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Self-Actualization

I understood what the first four needs meant.

But for many years I wondered as to what was the meaning of the term “self-actualization”.

This is exactly what I felt one morning – during my walk in the lush green park on the banks of the Mula River – and I said to myself – “I do not have to go anywhere.”

I felt that I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve.

I have accomplished whatever I wanted to accomplish in life.

I have done whatever I wanted to do.

I am living the life that I always wanted to live.

Now – I am satisfied with life – I am happy where I am – I am content with what I have.

And so – I can say to myself: “I do not have to go anywhere”.

Now – I realize what self-actualization means.

Self Actualization is a state of mind when you can say to yourself:

“I do not have to go anywhere”

Yes – you have reached the stage of self-actualization when you can say to yourself: “I do not have to go anywhere”.

You have realized your full potential.

What you can be – you have become.

You are living the life that you always wanted to live.

You have reached where you wanted to reach – so now – you do not have to go anywhere.

Have you reached this stage of supreme satisfaction in life?

Are you are happy wherever you are?

Are you content with what you have?

Can you say to yourself:

“I have reached where I wanted to reach – and now – I do not have to go anywhere”

If you can say this to yourself – “I want to go nowhere”– you have achieved Self-Actualization.

Self Actualization is – when you do not have to go anywhere – and – you do not want to go anywhere.

Self Actualization is a great feeling.

You can take my word for it.

PS:

I hope all the people – who want me to take vacations – who want me to take up assignments – who keep offering me lucrative jobs – who want me to be more social – all of them – understand my point of view – that – I am happy where I am – and –“I want to go nowhere”

1. This is based on my personal experience. It may or may not work for you. So please do due diligence before trying out this technique.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

About Me

A creative person with a zest for
life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated
at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School
Pune, Vikram has published two books:COCKTAILa collection of fiction short stories about relationships
(2011) andAPPETITE FOR A STROLLa
book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel, writing short fiction and compiling his memoirs. An avid
blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative
non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, books, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories, self help and art of living essays in magazines and journals and published a number of professional research papers and reviews and edited in-house magazines and journals for many years, before the advent
of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to
creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse -
his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative
thoughts.